ISO Core Values & Graduate Profile

Core Values

Learning

We believe in the dignity and worth of each student; all individuals want and need to learn. As with any human accomplishment, successful learning is a life-long commitment; it is best achieved through rigor and perseverance in an environment of mutual respect and honesty.

Curriculum

We believe that maintaining an English-language environment in the classroom is a vital component of our school’s character. ISO therefore follows an American curriculum, but draws also on best practices from around the world, focusing on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of problem-solving, critical-thinking, and inquiry-based skills. The result is a broad, research-based, and culturally diverse curriculum delivered in English, emphasizing literacy, written and oral communication, the creative process of the arts and music, reasoning in the sciences and mathematics, the pursuit of a physically active and healthy lifestyle, and the use of current technology to enhance the learning and discovery process.

Environment

We believe that every aspect of school life is a context for learning. The ISO campus provides a secure environment in which learning is nurtured and stimulated by students’ experiences in classrooms and laboratories, on the sports field and on stage, in concert halls, community service projects and student council meetings – all in the context of a community of teachers, students and parents committed to the integrated development of its students as active, engaged and rounded individuals.

Community

We believe as a strong community of students, parents and teachers in celebrating culture and diversity while remaining united in our shared values. Our aim is to help our students develop as effective, fully contributing members of society, who are tolerant and open minded, unfailingly respectful of others and fully engaged in their communities. We greatly value the constant interaction of our older and younger students in this context, and strive to develop all students’ self-confidence by encouraging them to make the most of our uniquely multicultural community.

Character

We believe a community is strengthened when individuals take social and moral responsibility for their own choices and actions. ISO strives to help each student develop strong personal values that will allow him/her to act with thoughtfulness, humanity, respect, honesty, compassion and concern for the welfare of others.

Graduate Profile

Graduates of the International School of Ouagadougou shall embrace learning as a life-long process.

They shall:

Be proficient in English and have mastered the academic skills required for further education and a successful career; be capable of assessing the validity and integrity of information, identifying sources of bias, and independently obtaining and analyzing relevant data.

They shall:

Use logical reasoning in constructing arguments; consider all options and alternative viewpoints; propose and implement holistic solutions; and use current technologies as learning and research tools, rather than ends in themselves.

They shall further:

Be able to make informed choices by connecting what they have learned at school with life experiences; they shall be self-confident and have the ability to receive and provide constructive criticism; and have the ability to adapt to change and different environments.

And they shall:

Work well with others by providing positive leadership while encouraging mutual respect and consensus building; take responsibility for their actions; value and engage in local and global communities; and contribute positively to efforts to meet local and global challenges.